Manure produced at a feedlot or dairy barn must be regularly removed to ensure adequate sanitation and to prevent disease. One manure removal method is to flood the feedlot or barn floor with water to create a solid/liquid slurry. The slurry is directed through pipes or channels to a man-made slurry pond, where the solids and particulates settle to the bottom of the pond. The liquid is drained and recycled and the solids are removed and used as fertilizer.
One problem with a slurry pond is that a high proportion of solids in the slurry may clog or otherwise impede the slurry as it passes through the channels or pipes. Another problem is that it is time-consuming and difficult to remove the significant amount of solids once they settle to the bottom of the ponds. In addition, the large amounts of methane produced by the decomposing manure create a potentially dangerous working environment. The monitoring and removal of solids from the bottom of the ponds forces workers to work for extended periods in this hazardous environment.
To solve these problems, machines have been developed that remove a significant proportion of the solids in the slurry prior to placing the slurry in a pond. One such machine includes a friction-driven conveyor belt that lifts solids from the slurry, drains liquid in the slurry as it is carried along the conveyor, and deposits the resulting solids in a pile. The drained liquid is routed to the slurry pond and contains significantly fewer solids than the original slurry, and is therefore much easier and safer to process. This type of machine is inexpensive to build and maintain and is preferred in many situations because of its simplicity. However, the flexible conveyor belt is prone to slip on the drive drum driving the conveyor when large amounts of solids are being lifted and carried along the belt. Slipping is even more likely when slurry gets caught between the conveyor and the drive drum. The slipping belt prevents the conveyor from moving the solids. In addition, the rotating drive drum rubs against the slipping belt, which wears down the belt and contributes to early belt failure. Furthermore, the power source driving the drive drum, typically an electric motor, may become damaged during continuous slipping.
The present invention overcomes these problems by providing a separator that extracts solids from a solid/liquid mixture, comprising: a flexible belt having a plurality of linear grooves, and a powered drive cylinder including a fin positioned to contact a substantial portion of one of the plurality of grooves.
Another aspect of the invention provides a separator that extracts solids from a manure slurry. The separator includes a powered rotating drive cylinder, a plurality of fins extending radially from the drive cylinder, and a flexible conveyor belt driven by the drive cylinder. The conveyor belt has a plurality of grooves positioned so that at least one of the fins contacts a substantial portion of one of the grooves as the drive cylinder drives the flexible conveyor belt.
Another aspect of the invention provides an endless carrier including a plurality of linear grooves and a plurality of approximately radially oriented fins. At least one of the fins fits in at least one of the plurality of grooves to thereby transmit motive power to the endless carrier.
Still another aspect of the present invention provides a conveyor mechanism comprising a conveyor belt and a plurality of substantially radially extending linear fins that engage a part of the conveyor belt along a substantial line of contact to thereby drive the conveyor.
Yet another aspect of the present invention provides a conveyor that removes solids from a solid/liquid mixture. The conveyor includes a belt having a plurality of linear grooves on one side. A plurality of driven radial fins are disposed so that at least one of the fins contacts at least one of the plurality of grooves to drive the belt.
The advantages of the present invention will be understood more readily after a consideration of the drawings and the Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment.